As Long as There Is Imagination
by Flame Swordmistress
Summary: The Characters of the parks reflect on the changes being made to WDW. Chapter 3: Sora wasn't entirely sure why he was here. There was no attraction or ride or restaurant with the Kingdom Hearts name on it. Not even the corner of a gift shop.
1. Epitaphs

Walt Disney is well-known for saying "Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world."

There have been so many changes made to the WDW Resort lately (or maybe I've just been more aware of them) that I've started to wonder how the Characters react to these alterations. I honestly believe that the Disney Parks are alive in their own strange way, and when your home changes you're bound to notice. Here I'll post a collection of one-shots having to do with recent changes. I'll most likely add more as attraction refurbishments are announced. In addition, this is a challenge for me to be able to write shorter. Everything will be 500 words or less.

Also, I adore all the references that have been incorporated into the Haunted Mansion's new interactive queue. They make my inner Disney nerd happy.

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><p><strong>Epitaphs<strong>

The Florida night fell silently, as it always did. The transition from bright daylight to murky dusk was all but unnoticeable until it was already complete. At nine o'clock precisely, the skies above the Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort exploded with fireworks and music. Within twenty minutes the night had settled down again, and after another few hours the entire park was still.

Not a soul moved along the empty thoroughfares of Liberty Square and Frontierland. The sky was gloomy and overcast, the veil of clouds obscuring the stars but thin enough for the moon to cast a faint silvery glow over the world.

In the shadow of a forbidding, willow-flanked mansion, a new area had appeared almost overnight. Queue ropes wound through it, weaving around an unfamiliar assortment of tombs and ossuaries, an unremarkable wall separating it from the regular queue line for the time being. But not everyone could be kept out by something as simple as a solid barrier.

Tonight, a presence moved through the space, inspecting the atmosphere and the new memorials that had been erected in honor of some of the mansion's more…illustrious inhabitants. Occasionally the presence appeared as a stately, sallow-faced man, identical to the portrait above the mantle in the manor's foyer. More often, though, he was noticeable to the living only as a chilling voice echoing about them from nowhere. He did love the uneasiness that produced.

A few paces into the queue, ethereal fingers coalesced into existence and ran across the pipes of an ornate organ built into the wall. A crow called out in the distance as the fingers lingered a moment over the label _Ravenscroft_ that adorned the keyboard.

"Hmm…"

As the path turned a corner, a high, screeching tune emanated from the side of the Crypt of the Decomposing Composer, activated by an invisible touch. The music was discordant and grating to mortal senses but thoroughly enjoyable to the ears of the mansion's residents. This would indeed be an interesting addition to the endless entertainment of the manor's swinging wake.

Turning once more to take in the open space, the Ghost Host observed with satisfaction that his own gravestone had been accorded a place of honor in the center of it all.

Master Gracey, Laid to rest

No mourning please, at his request

Farewell

It pleased him to see that the earth around the headstone had been neatly tended, though he'd always thought the weeds added a nice touch.

Master Gracey moved soundlessly through the remainder of the queue, pausing at last in front of a tall, cracked stone wall. Fresh epitaphs lined the crumbling blocks but his attention was drawn upward to the top left corner.

Farewell forever

Mister Frees

Your voice will carry on the breeze

A thin smile pulled at the Ghost Host's lips. "Well."

The iconic baritone rumbled from his throat, drifting in the air as though to fulfill the epitaph's promise.

"It's about time."


	2. Enthusiasm

I'm not sure why my inspiration went to _Journey Into Your Imagination_. I was reading Aquarian Wolf's "Welcome to the Tragic Kingdom" the other day so that probably has something to do with it. (If you haven't read that, go do it! It's brilliant.) I never saw the attraction when it had Dreamfinder but I have some of the ride audio and I absolutely love his interaction with Figment in the sound clips.

Also I'm scrapping the 500 word thing. There's too much that needs to be said.

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><p><strong>Enthusiasm<strong>

When he'd first heard his attraction was going to be updated, Figment went literally through the roof with excitement. When he'd found out that his creator was no longer going to be in it, however, he'd thrown a hissy fit that still had Maintenance Cast Members wondering what had happened a decade later. His pseudo-father had calmed him down by assuring Figment that it was all a new adventure, that Dr. Nigel Channing was sure to be a font of hundreds of new ideas.

And it turned out he was…when Figment could pull him away from his laboratory long enough to let his imagination run wild a little. Figment wasn't _trying_ to be a pest, really! It just took a lot to get the good doctor to stop thinking in such a straight line. Getting yelled at and chased off was a small price to pay if it meant the Doc had to use creativity to do it.

Baiting Nigey was fun, but at the end of the day it was Dreamfinder that Figment always wanted to return to. Though the bearded inventor didn't appear in the ride anymore, a door in the waiting area bearing the name _Dean Finder_ made sure his memory was still present in the park.

Dreamfinder was never cross with him, no matter how boisterous the little dragon got. Instead of yelling the jolly old soul would simply direct Figment's energies in a more useful direction. Every word out of his mouth was encouragement and fancy; never once did he try to suppress the spirit's creativity. He was always ready and eager to play, to dream and laugh and see what new thoughts they could come up with together. And, like every night, it was to _Dean Finder's_ office that the dragon zipped as soon as the last Cast Member had left the pavilion.

Ignoring the door completely, Figment popped into existence above the desk in a puff of purple smoke. "Wwwwooooowww, what a setup!"

The inventor was whistling a bouncy version of "One Little Spark" to himself as he fiddled with a massive children's connector set. He looked up brightly as his favorite creation burst into the little office. "Well hello there!" Unlike Nigel, Dreamfinder was always genuinely happy to see him.

"What's all this for?" Figment flitted about the room, excitedly examining the miles and miles of colorful interconnected sticks that had taken over the space. "Are we gonna build a whole city?"

"Give me just a moment..." The bearded gentleman put a finishing touch on the tower he'd been working on. "Ha! Here we are."

He flicked a bright green stick and the silly contraption came to life. The one stick knocked into another, which knocked into another, starting a domino effect that sent piece after piece spinning and rocking in a wave until the entire room was alive with the moving toys. The trash can rang out as nearby sticks knocked into it with tiny _ding ding dings_ and in the corner a spinning circle took off like a string-launched helicopter.

Figment clapped enthusiastically and with another purple _poof_ shrunk himself down small enough to fit between the sticks, zooming around inside the models and trying to dodge the moving parts. "Neat, neat, _neat!_"

Dreamfinder flicked the green stick again to keep the connector set in motion, happy to see someone having such fun with his latest idea. That's what made ideas wonderful: the possibility that they could be enjoyed.

_Poofing _into blue smoke this time, the dragon reappeared over the desk. "Oh! Oh! Look what I came up with today!" He pulled a bizarre-looking instrument out of thin air: some kind of cross between a giant orange conch shell and a set of bagpipes, with trailing fish-fins fluttering about holes in the sides. With a flourish, he blew a huge breath into the shell and a noise like the call of a whale bellowed out of it, the little fins making the whole sound seem like it was coming out of bubbles. For an added touch, streams of water spurted out from the topmost holes, raining over the connector set and sending droplets flying everywhere.

Dreamfinder laughed merrily. "Marvelous, Figment!"

"The Doc didn't like it." Figment flipped to hover upside down, not seeming the least bit perturbed by Nigel's opinion. "Said I was getting his notes all wet."

Dreamfinder stood and retrieved his hat from the stand near the door. "Ah well. Let him have fun in his own way and we'll have fun in ours. Now if I'm not mistaken, there's a meteor shower later tonight. Think what delightful things we could do with meteors!"

"Meteors? Comets, suns, and shooting stars! Asteroids and life on Mars!" The dragon exploded in a small burst of pink and purple fireworks, each one with his face in the center, before reappearing next to the hat stand. He was all ready to go, wearing a white scientist's lab coat and holding a collapsible telescope. "Maybe Nigey should take up stargazing. He needs to learn to think outside the box! You should hear all the silly things he wants to find out about imagination and creativity. He thinks he can quantify it!" Figment doubled over in the air, giggling madly. "Stuff it into test tubes and formulas and measure it! How clueless!"

Dreamfinder smiled along with him. "My goodness. That _is_ a rather farfetched notion. I have to admit I never would have _imagined_ that…would you, Figment?"

"Never in a million years!" Figment cackled for a few seconds longer before the words sank in and he froze, nearly falling out of the air in shock. "You…you mean _Nigey_ came up with an idea _we didn't?_"

Dreamfinder plucked his purple creation from the air and settled him on his shoulders piggyback-style, wandering out into the night. "He very well may have. Everyone assumes that imagination cannot be measured – and I'll admit I have to agree – but Dr. Channing is certainly persistent in his research and you and I both know there's no limit to what we can do when we pursue an idea."

"Huh." Figment leaned on one elbow atop the head of bushy red hair. "Maybe the Doc _is_ on to something. Go figure."

Dreamfinder reached up to scratch the little dragon's scaly back, chuckling. "That's not to say he couldn't use some help from someone who really knows imagination."

Figment cooed at the petting and wrapped his arms around his creator's head, stuffing his face up under the wide blue hat and giggling as he rode along. Maybe Nigel wasn't a totally hopeless case, but he wasn't nearly as fun as the silly old inventor. And he didn't tickle nearly as well. Eh, he'd worry about the doctor later on. For now, they had meteors to watch and ideas to create.

The splash of the jumping fountains told him when they'd reached the edge of the pavilion's promenade and Figment shook his head out of the hat to look up at the stars, still hugging the red hair. Dealing with Nigey was a daytime job. At night he really didn't care. Life could throw whatever it wanted at him just so long as he had Dreamfinder to come back to.


	3. Uncertainty

I went on a really weird tangent for this one. It turns out that when the original game debuted in 2001, you could actually meet Sora somewhere in Walt Disney World along with Donald and Goofy in their KH getup. Legend has it he made rare appearances at the Magic Kingdom Halloween parties for a few years before disappearing entirely. The board mentioned here does exist, though: I know that from experience. Presumably it's an old photo-op background or a promotional decoration from Innoventions.

Also, The Seas With Nemo wins the award for most unnecessarily long and intricate queue area ever.

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><p><strong>Uncertainty<strong>

Sora was not entirely sure why he was here.

He didn't have an attraction to entertain guests like everybody else seemed to have. There was no ride he belonged in or restaurant with a Kingdom Hearts name on it. Not even a corner of a souvenir shop was dedicated to the franchise. Occasionally when the newest game came out it would be sold in the parks, but other than that there was no real reason for him to be here.

Yet here he was.

Nine-thirty found Sora lying on his stomach on the roof of Fountainview Ice Cream, head resting on his arms as he watched thousands of guests streaming through the walkways below, cutting Future World in half as they worked their way toward Epcot's exit. The shadows behind the glowing sign hid him from view and the heat kicked out by the ice cream parlor freezers warmed his skin up in the cool February air.

He missed people.

It had been a long time since he had met guests in the parks and even longer since he'd met them during the day. This was the closest he could get anymore, watching from the darkness as families headed home from a day well-spent.

It wasn't so bad, to be honest. Being in Epcot meant he had a dozen different worlds on his doorstep, something he'd dreamed about since he was a little kid. Seeing them all mingle together in one place without losing their individual flavor was the one real perk about existing here.

It was funny, though, that no matter how often he explored the World Showcase he always ended up gravitating back here to the western half of Innoventions Plaza in Future World. Nowhere felt particularly like home, not even the Japan pavilion, but this building kept drawing him back.

He knew the source, of course. Deep under the pavement, in the utilidors that ran beneath the front half of Epcot, a single cardboard backdrop leaned against the wall almost directly below Innoventions West. On it, gathering dust and half-blocked by the other contents of the corridor, was the cover art for the first Kingdom Hearts game. It wasn't much and it was hidden far away from where guests could ever see it, but it was enough. Because it was there, so was he.

The others in the park were kind to Sora and his friends, but somehow distant. Like the Destiny Islands trio were houseguests who had been invited to stay but weren't part of the family. The best friends he had were Donald and Goofy, and they couldn't always make it over to this park.

So here he was, not quite belonging but not entirely a stranger, relegated to people-watching in the post-firework night.

Sometimes he wondered what would happen if he or someone else moved the board. Would he stay here? Move with it? Vanish entirely? As odd as this little limbo was, he didn't think he wanted to try.

With a practiced stealth, Riku crawled up beside him, shivering slightly in his sleeveless outfit. It would be another few hours before they could use the Seas With Nemo queue area as an obstacle course, so it seemed the pair of them were killing time the best way they knew how. "Good crowd today?"

"Not bad for winter," Sora answered absently. After a minute of silence, he added softly, "How long do you think we'll be here?"

He didn't have to explain what he meant. It wasn't the first time he'd asked that question and it was by no means going to be the last. Riku still didn't have a decent answer for it.

The older boy played with a fallen leaf on the rooftop for a moment. "Well, would you rather we not be?"

"Someday they'll clean the tunnels out. It'll probably take them another decade but eventually it'll happen. I just kinda wish we had a time frame."

Riku shrugged. "We enjoy what time we've got, I guess."

Sora rested his chin in one hand. "Guess so. Every so often you get a really awesome moment, but they're pretty rare these days."

Riku leaned forward, squinting at the people below. "You mean like that?"

Sora followed his eyes to where a little boy, no older than eight, had convinced his parents to buy him a light-up extendable sword toy from a glow cart. He made a few excited slicing motions with it before whacking his father in the side, yelling, "Die, Heartless!"

Above the ice cream parlor, two hidden figures shared a high-five.


End file.
